Officer finds driver playing Pokemon Go – on eight phones at once

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Pokemon Go isn’t as popular as it was in 2016, but one man in Washington state is still trying way too hard to catch them all.

Trooper Rick Johnson, a Washington State Patrol information officer, tweeted Thursday that an officer encountered a vehicle he thought was disabled parked on the shoulder of Highway 518 near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. But when Sgt. Kyle Smith approached the vehicle, he discovered that the driver was playing the game on no fewer than eight phones, the Seattle Times reports.

The driver had put all eight phones in an apparently home-made foam holder next to him.

#PokemonDistraction Sergeant Kyle Smith contacted a vehicle on the shoulder yesterday evening. This is what was next to the driver! Playing #PokemonGO with EIGHT (8) phones! Driver agreed to put phones in back seat and continued his commute with 8 less distractions. pic.twitter.com/tgOr16CRlm

The driver “agreed to put phones in the back seat and continued his commute with 8 less distractions,” Johnson said, adding that since Smith hadn’t seen him playing while driving, the driver was let go with a warning to only pull to the shoulder in emergencies.

“I can remember only one collision that we were able to confirm was caused by the driver playing Pokemon Go, (who) rear-ended another vehicle,” Johnson tells CNET. “I am assuming there are more, but humans don’t self-report that often when we arrive at scenes to investigate.” (Read more Pokemon Go stories.)